Triangle Park - Rogers Park

Triangle Park sits on 2.5 acres located at 7700 N. Hermitage - north of Howard Street in Rogers Park, Chicago, IL. This densely populated neighborhood has long been a port of entry for people from many countries. Triangle Park, built as the first community managed park in 1985 with Federal Urban Renewal Funds, is a nature park with an ecological focus and used for picnics, impromptu sports and community events. The Park was turned over to the Chicago Park District in 2000.

Join your friends and neighbors for the Rogers Park Community Peace Walk & Dedication on the UN International Day of Peace!

At 6 pm (please note the time change), Wednesday, Sept. 21, we will meet at the United Church of Rogers Park Peace Pole, 1545 W. Morse Ave., walk north on Ashland Avenue to the Willye B. White Community Center at 1610 W. Howard St., walk one more block north on Marshfield Avenue and then west on Jonquil Terrace to Hermitage. We will end the walk at the newly installed peace pole in Triangle Park, where a brief dedication ceremony and calls for peace will be delivered.

Everyone is welcome. Here's the program:
• Re-dedicate United Church of Rogers Park Peace Pole, led by Rev. Catiana McKay.
• Walk for Peace (See map for route info.), which will include a brief stop at the Willye B. White Community Center.
• Brief dedication ceremony for new Triangle Park Peace Pole, led by Triangle Park Advisory Council President Stephanie Gillespie Schrock.
• Call for peace in the community, led by special guest Tio Hardiman, CeaseFire Illinois director featured in the award-winning documentary film "The Interrupters."

Join your friends and neighbors for the Rogers Park Community PeaceWalk & Dedication on the UN International Day of Peace!

At 6 pm, Wednesday, Sept. 21, we will meet at the United Church of Rogers Park Peace Pole, 1545 W. Morse Ave., walk north on Ashland Avenue to the Willye B. White Community Center at 1610 W. Howard St., walk one more block north on Marshfield Avenue and then west on Jonquil Terrace to Hermitage Avenue. We will end the walk at the newly installed peace pole in Triangle Park, where a brief dedication ceremony and calls for peace will be delivered.

Everyone is welcome. Here's the program:
• Re-dedicate United Church of Rogers Park Peace Pole, led by Rev. Catiana McKay.
• Walk for Peace(see map for route info.), which will include a brief stop at the Willye B. White Community Center.
• Brief dedication ceremony for new Triangle Park Peace Pole, led by Triangle Park Advisory Council President Stephanie Gillespie Schrock.
• Call for peace in the community, led by special guest Tio Hardiman, CeaseFire Illinois director featured in the award-winning documentary film "The Interrupters."

Natural plants and grasses garden – Joanna Erenberg, has kindly volunteered her time to be our ongoing point person for the care of the Native Plants & Flowers Garden. Joanna also helps coordinate and run the oldest community gardens in Chicago, the Howard Aread Community Gardens, which are kitty-corner from Triangle Park. Also worth checking out when you are in the vicinity.

Recently, she had a work crew digging out the striped grass which is too invasive.When that is finished, other native plants will be planted that are not as invasive. She will also see that a splash of color is planted in the triangle point.

If you would like to volunteer your time to help us maintain this beautiful garden, please contact her by email at joannalake@yahoo.com.

See our most recent meeting minutes and agenda from our July meeting, where we talked about everything from the newly installed peace pole, our upcoming peace walk and dedication on Sept. 21st, the UN International Day of Peace, our efforts to get the Park District to update our signage, and our finances.

Visit our newly created Yahoo Group where you can see all the details behind our work.

Our next meeting will be Tuesday, August 9th at 7:00 pm at 7716 N. Paulina #1N, for anyone interested in joining the Triangle Park Advisory Council and making a difference in our little slice of Rogers Park heaven.

Back in 2009, TPAC helped facilitate an informal community poll at the Willye B. White Community Center to rename Triangle Park after a female community leader. This request to rename the park was made by the Chicago Park District. On January 5, 2010 a special meeting of TPAC was held to discuss the results of the poll and propose the winning name to the Park District and Alderman Joe Moore.

These were the results of the poll:

electronic paper

Carmen Dyse Ellis 365 98

Mary Jo Doyle27 0

Tobey Prinz 990

The council taking into account the results of the community poll, drafted a majority and minority report depicting Carmen Dyse Ellis as the former and Tobey Prinz as the latter. In April 2010, Triangle Park Advisory Council submitted all the proper forms for a name change to Carmen Dyse-Ellis Nature Park and submitted it to both the Chicago Park District and Alderman Joe Moore for consideration.

Carmen was an outstanding and well-liked teacher at GaleAcademy who died in 2008.You may remember that she was also recommended as the community’s choice when the new park building was being named.Even though Willye B. White was chosen by the Park District for that building the community members and students were promised that Carmen Dyse-Ellis would be kept in mind for future use.

To our disappointment we learned last tim that the Board of Commissioners does not always follow the recommendation of the community. We asked them to honor and accept the work the community has done in this regard, and affirm its choice of Carmen Dyse-Ellis Nature Park.

As of July 31st, 2011 we do not know whether or not they will choose to rename the park.